This Berry Protein Smoothie is made with 6 ingredients in 5 minutes and results in a delicious & filling smoothie! It’s perfect for an easy breakfast or lunch! Paleo, Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and no added sweeteners!
You all know I drink this green smoothie every morning as part of my breakfast. Well…this Berry Spinach Smoothie is another one of my faves. My love for smoothies knowns no bounds. They are the perfect, fast, easy, healthy meal option for my ladies (and gents) out there who need nutritious food in a hurry!
This particular berry smoothie is loaded with protein and is great for any and all dietary needs! It’s vegan, paleo, gluten-free, grain-free and dairy free!
This vanilla protein powder and this superfood powder are absolute life-savers! I add a scoop of each of these to my lunch-time smoothie and I know I’m getting some serious protein + nutrients.
What are the benefits of drinking smoothies?
When my third baby came into this world, my time became even more precious. I had four mouths to feed every day (not including my own), and I kind of lost my desire to eat. I know that sounds crazy, but at lunchtime I just wasn’t in the mood for anything.
I could never decide what I wanted and nothing sounded good to me. Don’t get me wrong…I was hungry, but I was tired! I knew I needed some serious fuel to boost me through the rest of the day, but I just didn’t care. But between nursing my sweet baby and chasing my other two kiddos around, I knew I had to treat my body right in order to function!
The solution was to include an extra smoothie, this Berry Protein Smoothie, into my day and jam-pack it full of amazing ingredients. Smoothies at lunchtime might seem strange to you, (I mean…isn’t a smoothie a breakfast food?!) but it seriously has helped me so so much. You can make a lunch loaded with protein, fruits, & vegetables in under 5 minutes with minimal cleanup. Win. Win. WIN!
What can be used as protein in a smoothie?
In this smoothie protein powder is the main ingredient that adds extra nutrition, but here are a few suggestions!
- protein powder. Orgain is my absolute favorite. I am never without both the vanilla and chocolate varieties in my pantry!
- Chia seeds. A nutritional powerhouse, these tiny seeds pack a big protein punch!
- Greek Yogurt. When I make smoothies for my kids I almost always add Greek yogurt!
- Nut butters. Peanut butter, almond butter, etc. the sky’s the limit!
- Nut Butter Powders. My favorite smoothie ever uses powered peanut butter, I love it because it tastes amazing, adds protein, is low in calories and easy to clean out of the blender!
Notes about this Berry Protein Smoothie Recipe
- Add powders after the liquid. I always add my powders right after the liquid (before the frozen fruits/greens) so they don’t “poof” up along the sides of the blender. It also keeps them from sticking to the bottom of the blender (which can happen if they are added first).
- Use frozen fruits and greens. As I’ve said before, I always…always use frozen fruits and greens in my smoothies! I love a super-cold, thick smoothie…and the best way I’ve found to accomplish this without using ice (which dilutes the flavor) is using frozen ingredients!
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Berry Protein Smoothie
This Berry Protein Smoothie is made with 6 ingredients in 5 minutes and results in a delicious & filling smoothie! It's perfect for an easy breakfast or lunch! Paleo, Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and no added sweeteners!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1.5 TBS vanilla protein powder (Plant-Based)
- 0.5 TBS Amazing grass green superfood powder
- ½ cup frozen mixed berries or your favorite berry combination
- ½ banana frozen
- 1 cup spinach frozen
Instructions
- Put ingredients into your blender (I recommend using a Vitamix in the order listed & blend until smooth.
- Serve & drink immediately for best taste!
Recipe Notes
This is a very versatile smoothie. I’ll add some yogurt for my kids & maybe a squirt of honey. Once you’re familiar with the base you can let your imagination take you wherever you’d like to go!
This recipe always comes to my rescue when I just don’t feel like eating anything, but I still care about feeding my body with nutritious, protein-packed foods!
What about you? Are you a smoothie person? Has there been a time in your life when you just didn’t care what you ate?
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine! 🙂
Jen
Can you skip the superfood powder?
Laura
Yes, you can choose not to include the superfood powder and still get a great tasting smoothie!
rachel @ athleticavocado
Nothing beats a cold berry smoothie on a hot summer day! Even better when it’s packed with nutrients like this one 🙂
Laura
Totally! Now we just need some hot summer weather in my neck of the woods! C’mon sun! 🙂
Laina Turner
I use smoothies as my go to also. They are easy and this is another I can add to my collection.
Laura
Yay! Smoothie lovers unite! 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Jenn - a traveling Wife
The color of that smoothie is perfection! I have to be careful when it comes to certain fruits due to an intolerance, but I love peanut butter smoothies. I drink them on the regular!
Leigh
This looks too pretty to drink! 🙂
Laura
Thank you Leigh! 🙂 Colorful foods are the best! 🙂
Ashleigh
This looks yummy!! I need to pick up some more protein powder this weekend, and I’ll have to check out that Green Superfood Powder.
I’d love it for you to share this on my weekly link party, it goes live tomorrow at 6PM:)
http://www.twentysomethinginthe2010s.com/category/peace-love-link-up/
Laura
Thank you Ashleigh! 🙂 I always have protein powder on hand! Have you tried using Amazon subscribe and save? I get great deals on it that way…just a tip! 😉 I really enjoy the addition of the superfood powder too! It’s loaded with so many ingredients that are so great or you! 🙂
Meg
I love smoothies, but I’ve never used protein powder in them. Maybe I’ll have to look into it more. The flavors in this look great, though!
Laura
Thank you Meg! I never used to use protein powder but after baby #3 I just felt like I needed to increase my protein intake! Chia seeds are also great additions to up the protein! 🙂
Miz Helen
What a awesome smoothie! Thanks so much for sharing them with us at Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Kim
Love my morning smoothie and this is such a great one. This smoothie looks so refreshing and energizing.
Laura
You are SO right! It keeps me going on days when I need that extra boost! 🙂
carlos
Can you skip the superfood powder?
Laura
Absolutely you can!!!
A Juicy Blend
I totally agree that using frozen fruit is the way to go. So handy just to have a bag in the freezer and it makes the smoothie so fresh and creamy. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Laura
Absolutely! No wasted fruit in our house…if it’s getting dicy I just freeze it for smoothies!
JOSE
Love my morning smoothie and this is such a great one. This smoothie looks so refreshing and energizing.
Anna @ Blender Authority
Good pictures. I’ve never tried Orgain before but I do like the Amazing greens and I use hemp protein a lot.
Laura
Orgain is by far my favorite plant-based protein powder! Both for taste and cost!
Liana@LianasKitchen
I have a drawer full of frozen fruits so I can always make a smoothie. I also started getting frozen avocado halves as I always struggled using avocado when it was perfectly ripe (nothing worse than avocado bits floating about in your smoothie!) I first discovered the benefits of smoothies after the birth of my 3rd son (some 10 years ago now!) but they were a life saver in those early days of pure exhaustion!
Carl
I also use frozen ingredients for my smoothie. Mainly for financial and logistical reasons. It would take a lot of time to get fresh fruit every day. Freezing bananas really makes the smoothie more silky.
fasolakia
That smoothie looks soo good, especialy for the hot summer months. Also is good because after you drink one of these, you wonțt feel hungry any more.
Laura
Thank you!
Happyway
Brilliant instructions, I never try this recipe before. Berry protein smoothie is a versatile like her name. Thanks for this lovely blog post.
Ushmana Palmo Rai
The smoothie picture looks frame worthy ! I would hate to drink such a vibrant looking smoothie,but awesome
Donna
It would be amazing!!! Frozen fruits and greens are also my all-time favourite smoothie ingredients. But I’ve never used superfoods in my smoothie. I like plant-based protein instead of dairy product. But my kids don’t like the green taste at all. So what should I use instead of spinach?
Joanne Donatelli
I just made this and it is DELICIOUS!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Laura
Thank you Joanne! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it!